Tears of Light From the Dark
by WorldWalker128
Summary: Boy Likes Zelda games. Boy dreams his way into the Zedla world. Turns out Zelda world is real. Objects brought with him through dreaming make Ganondorf stronger. Humans and Hylians team up to stop him and aren't strong enough. Can they find a way to win?
1. Tears of Light from the Dark Part 1

This is a Fan-fic based off of LOZ: Twilight Princess. I don't dare claim to own anything that belongs to Nintendo, and I'd be foolish to try. But everybody knows what belongs to Nintendo and SEGA, so there's no need for me to list it. The line taken from 'Princes of the Universe' belongs to whoever made it.

Instead, I own my characters along with my powers and 'items' unless I say otherwise. I also like to do some semi self-insertion in nearly all my stories, so if you don't like that, leave now. Also, I'd appreciate it if anything you decide to use from my story that is mine you give me credit for.

MINE: Dream Veil. Mirror Gems. Curtis Johnson Jones (If this turns out to be someone's real name, I'm shocked to hear it.). 'Silver Fang' reference. 'The ultimate power that a mortal can wield' phrase (If someone else thought of that particular phrase before me, I apologize, but for it's use in this story and my others, and since I didn't know if it beforehand, I still claim it).

**Tears of Light from the Dark**

**Dream 1**

**_Prologue_**

A human lay down after a good four hour-long round of Twilight Princess. He had just finished the last fishing challenge and the second to last temple. He was disappointed about the reward for beating the mini game, but satisfied from shutting Zant up.

If I had to fight him for another minute, I would have screamed. That was the most annoying boss he had ever fought, but only because of the noise he was making.

He'd already beaten it once, but wanted to find everything this time. Get all the hearts, items, wallets, and find whatever little glitches he'd heard about. He hadn't found all the gold bugs last time either. But that could all wait until tomorrow. Right now, all he wanted was to recharge his batteries.

Now, if _I_ were helping the Hero in person, things would be different… And he fell asleep.

The next day was pretty much the same: Breakfast, school, homework, dinner, video games until his parents made him get off again. But this time he had made it to the final area and found a pair of bugs that he hadn't last time. All he needed to do to win again, was fight and kill Ganondorf, but that only meant that it was time to put aside his quest and go back to treasure hunting for awhile.

Yeah. Now comes the hassle and the girls in town swooning about my winning the contest in the tent… As he drifted off to sleep once more, he had one last thought: If only, if only, if…only…I could…just…

And then as his awareness faded, something rough scraped his entire body, and he found himself enveloped in a swirl of colors.

What the heck? This is the weirdest dream I've ever seen! And what was that scraping feeling earlier?

Something slammed into him, and as the objects moved away and he got a good look at them, he remembered what they were.

Ah. My creations from that "Silver Fang' story, the Mirror Gems. Ha! As if I need them anyway. Anybody who can control their dreams has ultimate power over them. But then something happened that he had not expected and caused him to lose concentration. He fell through a barrier that nearly shocked him to death. Fifteen seconds later, he slammed into the tops of some trees in the Lost Woods, and blacked out.

**Chapter 1**

_A hero meets a Human_

Link cast out his line once more trying to catch his biggest fish yet. Patiently he waited for twenty-five minutes and was just starting to doze when he felt a tug on his line. In excitement Link jumped to his feet and began to reel it in. Just as he was about to reach out and grab it with his free hand, Midna popped up and scared the crap out of him.

"Yaagh!" The fish jerked free of the hook, and flopped back into the water. His face turning red and one of those little anime-anger things formed on his head. Through gritted teeth he turned to the right and with his free hand quivering asked "Yes Midna? What is it now?"

Midna looked at his empty line and then back at him.

"I can't understand why you get so angry over a fish. Its only a fish, and its not as if it can jump up on land and walk away. It'll still be here when you get back."

"'Get back?' Just where is it we're supposed to be going?"

"Have you forgotten? Zelda is still being held captive by Ganondorf! We can't just leave her there!"

"Why not? It's not as if he'll kill her. He needs her so he can lure us in and can steal the Triforce you've got. While I agree that she needs to be saved, why can't the soldiers of Hyrule take care of it?"

"Like I told you before, those guys are all weak and cowardly. They're more likely to cry to their mothers than lift a finger to protect the kingdom. We're the only hope of this-"

Out of nowhere, a thunderbolt roiled across the sky. It was so loud that the vibrations caused the earth itself to shake. Midna's head darted immediately in a southeast direction. Link waved his arms and twisted his body in an attempt to keep his balance. He succeeded, but dropped his fishing pole into the pond. When the shaking stopped, Link reluctantly waded into the pond to recover his pole. He leaned it against a tree to dry, then went to check on the girl in the small cabin.

Midna floated up above the trees to get a better view of the direction she felt the magic surge come from. Something twinkled in the sky for a few seconds, but then disappeared. The surge was coming from somewhere above where they were falling form. She looked high, but saw nothing but one of those warp holes in the sky. Normal enough, except it was disappearing. Midna shrugged her shoulders and floated back down to wait for Link. He came back after a minute, and he wrung out the edges of his sopping wet tunic as he did so.

"What the heck was that? I've never felt a thunderbolt like _that_ before!" Midna closed her eyes and thought.

"I don't know. I felt a surge of magic the second it started, and when I floated up saw something sparkling, but it disappeared in seconds." She didn't tell him about the disappearing warp hole, because she wasn't sure that she really had seen it. It could have just been an illusion created by the magical surge.

I don't want him more concerned then he already needs to be.

"Twinkling, huh? Well I for one, think we should investigate. It could be another one of Ganondorf's traps, but if it's not and instead is a gift from the Goddesses, then we'd be foolish just to leave it." Midna nodded.

"Very well. There's a warp hole near to it. Shall I warp us?" Link nodded.

"Please do." Link transformed himself, and then Midna warped them.

The Human 'woke up' to find himself hanging by one ankle above a small pond in the Lost Woods. He looked up to find his ankle was too thoroughly tangled in vines to get down with ease even if his ankle wasn't the main problem. So he just hung around trying to come up with an idea for freedom. But the idea was soon handed to him. One of the Mirror Gems was caught just a bit out of his reach.

But since I'm dreaming, that shouldn't be a problem. he thought with a grin. He concentrated on the Gem and lifted it off of the branch down to his right hand. That's when a line from a song he once heard came to mind.

"My power is in my own hand!" He focused on the gem and felt energy pulse through him.

Sweet! Eat your heart out, Sonic. He pointed his hand and a laser the width of his finger shot away and severed the vines. Too late did he realize that he'd still fall to the ground.

"Ooof! Dreams hurt!" The pond he fell into wasn't very deep, so it still hurt when he hit the ground. When he could breathe again, he laid down on the shore so the dizziness from being upside-down would make him fall. That's where he stayed for two minutes until he spied another Mirror Gem. Then he crawled forward and grabbed it.

Dream or not, I'd rather not have someone else get a hold of these. He searched around and found two more, but the others were nowhere that he could see. Great. Now what am I going to do?

One of the Skull kid's puppets appeared from above and went after him from the front. Get out of here first, _that's_ for certain. He took off through the trees with more puppets pursuing him.

As he began to tire he suddenly and quite unluckily found himself at a dead end. He spun around to find his way back blocked, so instead he drew on the power of the Gems.

"You want a fight?! YOU GOT IT!!" The Human threw a fireball from one hand as if he were a Mage, and cast lightning from the other. The Gems he had been holding were rotating above the height of his head in a perfect circle around his body so he didn't need to hold them.

Very convenient. Glad I thought of it. In seconds, he made short work of them and moved on. But of course, more dropped down from the trees above. Already infused with the Life energy of others however, he just destroyed them again and kept moving until he found the exit. Or perhaps the entrance, but he didn't really care either way as long as those things stopped following him.

Good. Now that I've found my way out, I've got to find the other gems before I wake up. He looked around, thinking that maybe he could sense their powers. Nothing. Hmm. Perhaps if someone was using one I could feel it, but as it stands, I have no way to prove that theory.

Out of nowhere, a black fog gushed up out of the ground and who else should appear but the big bad guy himself, Ganondorf.

"So _you_ are the one who was using a huge amount of magic. First you will tell me how you became so strong, and then you will swear loyalty to me." The Human laughed in his face.

"Ha HA ha hahahaaa! Heh heh heh. Oh man, that is the biggest laugh I have ever had in my life! Me serve YOU? You would only get a temporary servant if I did that. This is only a dream. It may seem real to you, but I for one can tell fantasy from reality."

Ganondorf growled at him and drew the sword of light.

"A dream? You think I am only a figment of your imagination, boy?! Let's see if a dream can make you bleed!!" Ganondorf hurled a huge ball of dark energies at the Dreamer. In response, he yawned and with a small amount of focus, slowed and stopped the attack.

"I told you Ganondorf, you are no match for me and my pow-" A bolt of energy struck him from behind and cast him to the ground at Ganondorf's feet. Ganondorf set a metal boot onto his back.

"Not so mighty now, are you boy? Something tells me that those gems are your source. I think I'll relieve you of them." As Ganondorf leaned over to take one, An arrow shot by his face followed by one that just barely missed his other foot. "What?!" He whipped his head around to see Link launching another arrow with a bomb attached to it at him. He countered it with his magic, and then looked to where the energy bolt had come from. It was one of his Shadow minions, and it was holding a large glowing gemstone. "Come, creature of darkness." He threw his gaze back to Link, who was closing in with the Master sword held high. "I'll deal with you later. Until then," another black cloud of fog engulfed him. "farewell!"

As the fog cleared, it showed him to be gone. Unfortunately, so was the Shadow creature, and it had taken one of the lost Mirror Gems with it.

Link ran up to the Human and helped him to his feet. But not yet having seen his ears, did not yet know he _was_ in fact a Human.

"Are you alright?" Link asked.

"Yeah," he brushed himself off. "thanks." His eyes widened in shock as he saw who had come to his rescue. "Oh. My. Gosh! It's you! The next Hero! Freakin' sweet!"

Link was dumbstruck for a few minutes, and then asked "_Freaking?_ What's that supposed to mean? And how did you know who I was?"

"Are you kidding?! I know all about you! I've played all the video games about you and your ancestors! Even knowing this is all just a dream, being able to meet you is literally a dream come true! So, am I at the point where you could go fight Ganondorf? Have you collected the pieces of that helmet thing for Midna yet?"

"Yeah I have but,- Hey wait a minute, you know about Midna too?? And what's a video game? And what was that about knowing about my ancestors? You don't even know my name."

"Oh yes I do! Your name is Link, just like all the heroes of the past. The previous hero was the Hero of Time."

Unless you count WindWaker which was supposed to take place in the future and wasn't really that good of a game as far as the others go. he frowned with that thought which made Link think he had caused offence.

"Do my questions bother you? Well, while I apologize for that, you know more about me than almost everybody. That frightens me a little. Plus with the strange event that took place not far from here, this all adds up to a strange day." Midna popped up to ask the Human a few questions of her own.

"Alright, so you know who we are and what we are doing. Who are you, and what are _you_ doing -" then she noticed the Mirror Gems.

That's got to be the magic surge's source! Another surge flared up right before we got here, and those gems leave the same energy signature. I wonder if he knows their- Then the gems lifted back up off the ground and started rotating around his head again. I guess he does. "here?" she finished.

"The name's Curtis Johnson Jones. Pleased to meet you, even if its not real." He reached out a hand for a handshake, but then realizing his hand could have easily held four of hers, put it back down to his side. "What I'm doing here is enjoying my dream until I wake up to face another day of my boring reality.

"Or I would have enjoyed it if Ganon_dork_ hadn't taken one of my Mirror Gems with him."

"Is that what those things are?" Midna pointed at the revolving gemstones. Each one showed a small image of the person they were revolving around. Curtis nodded.

"Yeah." his next sentence sounded almost rehearsed. "The ultimate power that a mortal can wield. Well, without killing or aging themselves, anyway."

"You think our lives are all a dream?" Link said. Link looked in a way that said he obviously thought he was nuts. "That all this," he waved at the world around them. "will disappear in a matter of hours?"

"Yes. And I can prove it as well. Watch." Curtis closed his eyes and focused on a nearby rock. In seconds it transformed from an ordinary rock into a huge, fully-cut flawless ruby. Then he opened his eyes, pointed at Midna, and he himself turned into a shadow-being of the Twilight. Only, he now had wings that are commonly envisioned as a pair belonging to an Angel.

"Convinced? If not, I can change Link into a girl, and make _you_ trade place with the Hero of Time's guide." Actually, he wasn't sure if he could do that, but hoped that they would buy it anyway.

Link put a hand on his chest and said, 'no thanks.' Midna didn't look like she believed him at all.

"If this is a dream, you'd have two different time periods flowing through your mind at once. That would either make you lose control over it, or you'd likely wake up. Whether or not this is a dream for you doesn't matter, we have to save Zelda!"

"Actually, it doesn't matter how much time you take." Curtis told her as he changed back to normal. "Certain events only occur when you do certain things. For example, if Link had stayed at…what you call Lake Hylia, and didn't go to Zelda for help, you would not have died. You couldn't die because you were a needed part of the storyline. Just as Ganondorf cannot afford to kill Zelda because then you wouldn't go to the castle to save her.

"Trust me, the only way things can happen out of turn would be if this wasn't really my mind playing what I want to happen, and it was in fact, a crack in the fourth wall my mind slipped through into a genuine other world. If that's the case, then we may have a major problem."

"Ya THINK?! Your coming here may just have changed what was supposed to happen. If you've screwed up our future, then I swear that I'll-"

"You'll do what? Midna, you are my favorite character in the Zelda game series, but if you try to fight me with the intention of doing me genuine harm, I will fight back. With these gemstones, I may be the strongest ally you could ever want. Not even the Master sword in combination with all three Triforce pieces and the weaponry from the Heroes of old would be enough to take me down." He turned his back on Midna and looked towards the Castle and town of Hyrule. "Or, at least I would be that strong, if Ganondorf hadn't taken one of the gems and the sixth gem wasn't missing."

"There's _more_ of those things? Just how many do you have?!"

"I created six of them. Why? I'm not sure. Spur of the moment, I suppose. But that's not important. What is, is that we get the other one before it falls into his hands as well. I have a greater understanding of the gem's power and history, but Ganondorf has been drawing on the power of his Triforce for decades. It'll be a lot easier for him to draw in their powers than me. Also, he'd have no problem using 'certain people' for their power source. More particularly, us." he turned back to face them.

"Right now he has only one Mirror Gem, and you _might_ be able to still beat him by yourselves in case I wake up and the gems don't vanish with me. But if he gets another, you're going to need Naryu's love. It was given to the Hero of time by one of the Great Fairies. They're all dead or in hiding now, so it's not likely we'll be able to ask them for it's location. More than likely the Hero gave it to someone he trusted before he left."

"So then, all we have to do is get the other gem before he does and then we can take it form there?" Link asked.

"Pretty much." Link nodded.

"Alright then, we better get started."

"Lord Ganondorf. You wanted us to do research on the strange gemstone?" (English translated from shadow creature.)

"Yes. What have you found?"

"To be honest my lord, we're not sure what we've found. It's been determined that the gem itself seems to collect energy from those around it. One of my assistants collapsed from exhaustion when we made one of the Imps draw on it's power capabilities. I myself was a bit tired by the time we knocked him out."

"So, what your saying is that it drains the life out of those around them, while the user himself gets it all?"

That could be useful indeed.

"We're not entirely sure if all of the energy is taken from the people around the user. The Imp seemed a bit tired himself. Or perhaps afraid…" Ganondorf caught that extra bit, and he did not like it.

"Afraid? Of what?" The Shadow creature started, then after Ganondorf glared at him the words tumbled out.

"The Imp said he- said that he heard a voice in his head. It- it was telling him to take the gem's power, kill all of us in the room, and then avenge his people. Among other things."

"Hmm. I see." Ganondorf paced widthwise across the throne room. When he reached the end he stopped, turned around, and asked a question. "Will I be able to take power from it without hearing these…voices?"

"We don't know, my lord. We've tested it on a number of different Imps, Bokoblins, Hylians, and even had the person who found it and used it. All except for the last and the Bokoblins claimed that they heard a whisper telling them to do things that without that power they probably wouldn't."

"What did these test subjects all have in common?"

"Well my lord, for the most part they were all…(Bleh!)…_good_ people. The Bokoblins are mercenaries, so they didn't really care, and the shadow being was aligned towards evil."

"So then it has something to do with their 'alignment' as you put it. Then the answer is yes, I _can_ use that gem. Have it brought to my personal chambers. You may go." The shadow creature bowed and left.

"Guard!" He barked. A Bokoblin trotted forward and also bowed. "Send a message to all idle and spare forces. All troops are to search for this boy," he formed a picture on rough paper with his magic. "and bring everything of his directly to me. Now go!" Ganondorf's right hand pointed at the main doors on the word go. The Bokoblin saluted and left.

Ganondorf strode unhurriedly back to the throne and sat down almost lazily in it. But his mind was far from lazy for he was already planning the latest hero's demise.

All I need for assured victory is those other gems the boy had. I've already got one, so now I just need to get his, and none shall be able to oppose me. Then when all has been taken, I shall force the Goddesses themselves to bow before me!

He chuckled louder and louder until at last maniacal laughter rang throughout the castle.

**Chapter 2**

_'Mirror mirror, lost to my hand, where are you hiding, in this land?'_

"So tell me dreamer, why is it you chose to come to this land out of all the others you describe?" Midna inquired as she sat on Link's shoulder and spoke to Curtis.

"I don't usually have the luxury of choosing my dreams. They just occur, and I make the best of them." he shrugged.

"It seems to me, you wanted to come here so badly that your mind sent you here the only way it could. Now you have become a part of our world."

"Only until I wake up." he said in a sad voice. "Then I leave this world behind like so many other worlds, so many friends, so many places I could have called home in time."

"What about your world?" Link asked. "Is it not as beautiful as it is here?" At the moment the were traversing through Hyrule fields and had come to the place where Lon Lon Ranch had once stood. Curtis sighed.

"Only in some places. You see that place?" He pointed at Hyrule's castle and town. "Most of our towns dwarf that place so badly it makes it look like a village. Fewer and fewer people care about nature anymore. In another two hundred years, an open area like this will be a fleeting dream too.

"That's why I want to be here. Centuries pass, but the land only grows more beautiful and mysterious. Very little is mysterious about our world now. Only why people's bodies react the way they do to certain illnesses.

"I'd rather not talk about this right now, let's do it later."

They were preparing to leave when they heard a voice from behind them. They looked over their shoulders to see the postman running up. Midna quickly dove back in Link's shadow.

"Which one of you is one, Mr. Link? I've got a package for you!"

"A package?" Link asked in confusion. "I've never gotten a package before. How odd."

"Judging from your reaction, I'd say you are Mr. Link. One moment please…" His hand shuffled through his pack until he grabbed what he was looking for. "Ah. Here it is." Link too the package and thanked him. "Until next time then!" He saluted and jogged off into the distance.

"I wonder what could be so important that they'd send it to me in a box?" Link put it down onto the ground. "Only one way to find out I guess." Link set to opening it as Midna popped back up onto his shoulder again. He fiddled around until he finally resorted to using his sword to pry it open. Midna started looking around and Curtis laid down on the grass to relax until the lid popped off the box with numerous sword marks on it. "Bingo!"

Inside was a letter and a complete heart piece. Link read through the letter, smiled fondly and then touched the heart. It disappeared in a shower of red sparkles, and Link stood up looking stronger. He placed the letter in a pouch at his waist that was about the size of a shield. He patted it and then walked towards the town. Curtis got up and followed while Midna popped back into his shadow once more.

"So Link, why are we going into town? I highly doubt the other Mirror Gem fell all the way in here."

"I need some items, and I'm hungry. Midna's probably hungry too. How about you?"

"Nah. I ate only five hours before I went to bed. Besides, eating in this world isn't very sustaining. It's the same with water. I could drink an entire river and it wouldn't make a difference. I'd keep being thirsty until I woke up and got a drink."

"Well. That's unfortunate. Would you like to wait outside then?" Curtis shook his head.

"Nah. I want to see if these people look as goofy in person as they do in the game."

"Whatever." So then all entered.

Almost immediately, Curtis was attracting attention. People were staring at his clothing, his hair color, and after the wind blew his hair around, his ears drew the most attention.

"Did you see that?!"

"What a strange material…"

"I've never seen brown hair _that_ curly before. And his eyes! They change color as he walks by different colored objects!" All of these were assorted mutterings of the people they passed. Even the bug collecting girl thought he was strange. What was stranger was the fact that one of the golden bugs had latched onto the back of his shirt. So even though people stared, he now had one hundred rupees (He split half of the hundred reward with Link) in his pockets. The staring continued right up until someone tried to steal a ring off his hand. Then Curtis punched the thief-to-be in the face with that same hand. The thief lost his two front teeth, but instead of fighting back, he ran away. Link raised his eyebrows.

"You handled that fairly well."

"No one tries steal from me and gets away with it completely."

"Really? Care to check your right pocket?" Link chuckled while twirling a blue rupee through his fingers up where Curtis could see it. Curtis' eyes widened as he realized what Link had done and checked his pocket. He was indeed missing five rupees. Curtis glared at Link, and while laughing, he gave it back.

"Looks like one thief got away."

"Not so much. You're still here." Then on impulse, he punched Link too and knocked him down.

Spluttering, Link stood back up amidst a group of wide-eyed people. Link rubbed his cheek in surprise, then grinned back up at him. He reached a hand up, Curtis reached one down and hauled him back up.

"I guess I asked for it."

"No you didn't. It was impulse. I'm losing control." Link had stopped laughing, but was still grinning.

"What do you mean?" Now completely serious, Curtis looked up at the darkening sky.

"I mean its no longer night-time in my world. It's now early morning. I've got maybe three real-world hours before I wake up and leave this world behind." Link's expression turned grim.

"Then we had better find that missing Mirror Gem of yours." Curtis nodded. "And fast."

They left town and split up. Curtis would take the southern half of the map, and Link would take the Northern. Link and Midna were the first to encounter trouble, but handled it easily. Along the way, they found a few golden bugs, though most he had already found, which annoyed him. It seemed that he would never find all the stupid things.

Why can't that little pest of a child find them herself? Sure, she's adorable, but that only gives her so much leeway. Link thought with a scowl. Even _with_ the money she pays, this is hardly worth the effort. A few times Midna's attention was drawn to the south, but she figured that it was most likely to be Curtis in combat being as the magical surges were a lot larger than the one that the Shadow being had generated with only the one gem.

At night Link had to stop and rest, so he stopped under a tree, leaned up his back against it, and went to sleep.

Midna sat awake though. At first she was only keeping watch, but her attention kept being drawn to Link. Their journey together had been a difficult one, but it had for the most part been fun. Flying on a Twilight bird, riding him like a horse while he was a wolf, swimming, fighting, and even snowboarding of a sort! She smiled and caressed his cheek.

Oh Link. It seems I've become attached to you. I wonder if you feel the same?

Eventually, she too, dozed off. She would regret that later.

"Ha! Yah! Out of my way!" Curtis yelled as he battled an ambush group of shadow beings. But to his dismay they kept resurrecting and dropping down from a portal, and in so doing, multiplied.

This is bad! If I don't take these things out fast, even with the Mirror Gems help, I'm done for! Another five foes collapsed, just to re-rise ten seconds later. In desperation, he tried to destroy the staffs trapping him in, but the barrier deflected his shots. So much for that idea. This dream is turning into a nightmare! Maybe that's the main reason I'm losing control.

One leaped onto his back and bit at his neck.

"Shockwave!" A blast of electrical energy exploded from his body and shocked every foe within a ten foot radius. Another group attacked. "Purge!" The purest white light any person has ever imagined lit up every area within a quarter mile of him. When it returned to normal, all the shadow beings were gone. In their place was the ordinary, confused-looking, citizens of the Twilight Realm. Seconds later, they were sucked back up through the portal back to the Twilight realm.

"Wow. Imagine that!" Then he blacked out and warped to another location. Such is the nature of dreams.

He shook himself 'awake' and with what little control he had left, levitated back up to his feet.

If only I had these powers in real life. Oh well. He looked around. Where the heck am I? Then a ghostly, golden wolf caught his eye.

"You do not belong in this world. You will cause it's destruction." It's unearthly, yet still somewhat Human voice echoed in his head.

"I saved this world in my own, I can do it here in my sleep." The wolf shook it's head and it's intense eyes felt to him as if they were piercing his very soul.

"In your world, you fought as Link. A Link with no magic, with no knowledge of what is to come. You knew how this latest chapter in Hylian history was destined to end, but by dragging those trinkets of yours into this world, along with your intention of changing events for the preserving of another's feelings over that of the greater good, you have made a great evil even greater. You must leave before you cause greater destruction!"

"But what about those people from the Twilight Realm I released from bondage? Isn't that a good thing?"

"The damage you may cause in the near future, and far as well, shall be greater than that of freeing those few who may or may not have been spared by the Princess of Twilight and the Hero. If Link fails to find the other gem before you wake up, it will be stuck here until you next visit this world. That could be weeks, months, or even years! Nay, Dreamer. Either leave, or bind the gems to the hero, and never return."

"And if I should refuse to leave?" Curtis asked with just a slim edge of a challenge in his voice.

"Then all the evil to come is on your head. I can only give a warning. Just remember, though you are not the only one who's heart is tainted with a lust for power, yours is just a milder case. Ganondorf's lust is unquenchable. Should _he_ get a hold of all of the Mirror Gems, not even the Dream Veil will be able to hold him back for long. He _will_ break through it, and he _will_ take on your world next." His message done, the wolf vanished.

"I have _got _to stop eating peanut butter before I go to sleep." Jones muttered.

Well, from what the wolf told me, Link is more likely to find the gem before me, which probably means that it is in the north. Strange, but what isn't? Oh well, maybe something I do down here will make it happen.

He was wrong. The gem had been found the first day he was there, and had been taken up to Hyrule town market to be sold to a rich merchant.

Link awoke to the voice of the Skeletal soldier whom taught him fighting skills echoing in his mind.

"Wake up, hero! Get up and fight or all is lost!" Link jolted to his feet with his sword already half drawn to find a shifting shadow figure not too much unlike himself.

"_Ha ha ha ha ha. So this is the next hero of light? Hmm…Unlike the past heroes, you have no natural magic capabilities. This fight should be quick."_

"Who are you?" Link asked groggily. Though still being half asleep, his body was quickly shrugging the sleepiness off.

"_Who am I? Why, I am you."_ Link had drawn his sword out completely and hefted his shield.

"Me? How can you be me?"

"_It would seem that you have a slower mind than that of your ancestors. I am your dark half. Your sins, your greed, even your darkest hidden desires are what I am. After I kill you, I will shed this body, steal yours, and fulfill those desires." _

It was then that Link realized that Midna was nowhere to be found.

"What have you done with Midna?!" He demanded. The dark being smirked.

"_Hm Hm Hm. Use your imagination."_ His smirk turned to a evil grin. _"Enough talk. Time to die, hero!"_

Their blades clashed as Link leapt to attack and Dark blocked easily. Dark swept their blades to the side and disarmed Link. To remedy this, Link drew out the sword he had taken from Ordon. Clang! Clash! Once more at a stalemate, Dark kicked at Link's stomach, but Link blocked it with his shield just in time. Surprised at Link responding so well, he dropped his guard for just a second. Long enough for Link to jab Dark's shield arm.

"_Rgh! You are better than I thought. But still not as good as the Hero of Time." _Dark dropped his shield and sword, grabbed Link's shoulders and pulled jerked him forward. He gave Link a hard head-butt that sent stars spinning into his vision.

Dazed, Link stumbled back a few steps and put hand to his head. Dark picked his sword back up and charged at Link while his vision was still clearing.

Just when it seemed Link was done for, his horse galloped at Dark and trampled him.

"_Curse you, you dratted horse__! After I kill your master, I'll feast upon you for my dinner!" _Link heard that threat, and rammed into Dark using all of his weight, and his shield. Dark fell to the ground and Link began hacking at his head. But Dark managed to throw him off and roll to the side. He stood up and dodged another attempt from the horse to run him over. Then spun to block an attack that never came. Link ran over to the Master sword and sheathed the Ordon sword. Now armed with the better blade, Link renewed his attack.

Dark found himself being hammered by uncountable strikes until his shield arm went numb. Desperate, Dark jabbed at _Link's_ shield arm. He missed Link's arm, but cut through a leather strap that held the shield on it. With a snap, Link now found holding his shield awkward and ineffective, so he discarded it, and once more drew out the Ordon sword.

"_Hmph! To wield two blades at once, you require a certain training. You may just have made yourself weaker by doing that! Less work for me."_ Ignoring Dark, Link raced forward and cross-slashed at him. Dark Held his blade straight and stopped both. Then he kicked Link's chest and was about to do more when Rocky rammed him again and sent him sprawling. Shaking his head to remove stars of his own, he looked up just in time to see Link taking aim with his bow.

"You _may kill me, but what about your descendants? I'll come back for them too."_ Link released the shot and sent the arrow straight between Dark's eyes. Dark Link perished in a cloud of black smoke. Then a wind from the east came and scattered it far across Hyrule.

"And they will destroy you as I have destroyed you." Link spoke to the air.

Rocky trotted up to Link and nuzzled him. Link patted Rocky's side and petted his nose. "Thank you, my friend. If not for you, I'd be dead." The horse nickered. "You haven't perchance seen Midna, have you?" Rocky either hadn't seen her, or didn't understand Link because it put it's head near the ground and began grazing. "Guess not." Link put his bow away along with his swords and damaged shield. He sighed at the damage done to it, and then looked searched the area for any signs of Midna. The only thing he found was a bit of hair, and marks where a struggle took place. The only other thing out of place was a small box the size of his fist. Out of curiosity, he opened it to find a small written note inside. But it was in no language he'd ever seen before.

"Curse you, Ganondorf!"

Anything just to slow me down! But nothing good would come of just sitting around. It was time to get some information. Link climbed up onto Rocky's back and gently bumped her sides. Rocky cantered towards Hyrule castle and town at a gallop. "The sooner I find out what this note says," he looked at it again. "the sooner I can find and rescue Midna."

He would not stop until he reached the tavern.

Ganondorf stroked his mustache thoughtfully as he tested his new powers. It was at least equal to that of his Triforce of power. He began to wonder how much stronger he'd become when he collected the other four from that boy who defied him the day before.

Once I've collected all of them, not even the Goddesses themselves will be able to stop me. Ganondorf cast a black bolt of lightning at the statue above the throne. When it struck, it was as if it were made of sand. A little fell off it the tips, then more and more until it was nothing more than a pile of gravel and sand burying the throne.

Amusing, to be certain. But I cannot test it's full power without running the risk of bringing the castle down. I suppose I'll have to go to the mountains to test it. Ganondorf thought about testing his powers on the mighty Gorons, and a grin slid across his face.

"How low the mighty will fall. Now to go." Ganondorf left a written note instructing his followers what to do in the meantime. Then he snapped his fingers, and went to Death Mountain to give it's name a new meaning.

The chief Goron sat on his throne eating a fried leg of Cuccoo.

"Ah. Nothing beats a good leg of KFC. Would any of you like some Kakariko Fried Cuccoo?"

"No thank you, sir. I ate some fossilized wood earlier." The chief shrugged.

"Suit yourself." He took another mouthful.

The sound of rock splitting filled the air and with a half second flash of light, Ganondorf appeared in the main throne room. The chief Goron jumped up out of his seat and yelled.

"Who in Din's name are you?! How did you get in here?!" he roared.

"The dead need not know my name. I come to tell you to prepare. I will warp to the bottom of the mountain and work my way up back to here. Your people will all perish before my might. Prepare for death." His warning given, Ganondorf cast another a parting gift onto the advisor. Choking, the collapsed on the floor and gasped for air. Ganondorf swirled his cloak and disappeared. Seconds later, the Goron was dead.

"Hmph. Let the games begin!" Ganondorf's voice boomed and echoed throughout the canyon. He started up the slope.

**Chapter 3**

_The merchant's price_

Eventually Curtis got tired of wandering around and decided to use the Mirror Gem's powers to hover around at sixty eight miles per hour. After giving his half of the map a thorough search, he got fed up.

Screw this. I may as well go back to the Town and wait for Link to show up and tell him I couldn't find it. So that's just what he did. But upon reaching the gates, he remembered that Ganondorf's HQ was here.

"Mirror Gems, take to the air!" He commanded. The Mirror Gems rose up over eight-hundred feet in the air, but they still rotated around his body. Now reassured that that they could not be stolen, he walked on into town.

Once again people stared at him, and whispered behind their hands to one another, but he ignored them and went for the tavern.

Sooner or later, he'll turn up there. It's just a matter of time. Unfortunately though, he got lost and had to stop and ask for directions. But all they did was stare at him. So he kept wandering the streets until something glittering drew his eye. Now completely ignoring the staring, he followed it until he saw what it was.

The last Mirror Gem! But what's going on? A crowd was gathering around a stage of sorts that had been set up. A man standing behind a podium in a fancy shirt held it up for all to see, taking care to make sure that it caught the light and shone like a star.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Nobles and other folk! I bring to you on this day such a rare sight that it is not likely to be seen ever again! Tell me good sir," he pointed to an old man near the front. "Have you ever seen a gemstone of this size? Ever in your life?" The old man leaned close and examined it for himself. After a few minutes, he leaned back and shook his head incredulously.

"Never. Never have I seen anything like it."

"There you have it, Ladies and Gentlemen. This here stone is unique, and flawless as well. Now, even though it is unique, I have many gems, and am willing to part with this one if one of you want it badly enough. Will anyone make me an offer of say…three hundred Rupees?"

Dear god! He's putting on an auction! I've got to stop this before its too late! He shoved his way to the stand and leapt up upon it.

"Thief! Return that gem to me at once!" Startled, both he and the crowd looked to him. The Auctioneer glared briefly at him and then turned to the crowd.

"You call _me_ a thief? And how could this be your gem sonny? My nephew found this stone near the Lost Woods." The crowd looked at the Merchant, then turned back to Curtis.

"Yeah! Explain it, boy!" called one person. The others began to mutter until things looked to get ugly.

"When I came to this land, I had six of them. Now I only have four. I saw one taken by a shadow monster which accounts for that one, so that must be the other! Return it now!" He demanded. The merchant laughed.

"You say you had six, boy? I'll believe the bit about shadow creatures as I have run into a few myself, but where are the other four? Show them to me!" Curtis reached up in the air.

"As you wish. Mirror Gems, come!" The gems indeed came down from the sky for all nearby to see. The crowd gasped, and the merchant looked on with his jaw hanging and his eye wide.

"You've all seen, now give me my gem!" He insisted angrily. But the Merchant wasn't going to give it up so easily.

"Ha! How do I know that you really had all six at one time? I may have found it before you, and now you are trying to steal the fruits of my search!" he sneered at Curtis.

"If I was trying to do that, I'd just kill you and take it off your corpse. But I'm trying to prevent bloodshed. Now give me the gem."

"Ah. So now you threaten me. I see you for what you are now, it is _you_ who is the thief!" His patience just about gone, he decided to try another tactic.

"If I don't get it from you, Ganondorf will take it off the corpse of whoever buys it from you. He's already taken one, but he's still beatable right now. If he gets another, the most recent chosen will be unable to stop him." he turned to address the crowd and raised his voice so all present could hear him. "Do any of you want to lose your lives over this?" he pointed at the gem the merchant had. "Because once Ganondorf senses the other gems, he'll come running. When he does, anyone who has it will die. Do any of you want to be remembered as the man or woman who doomed Hyrule because of greed?"

A number of people started to leave, followed by larger groups who were shaking their heads. But a few stayed. One posed a question.

"But if he only has two to your four, couldn't you beat him?" Curtis shook his head.

"I have only these gems to fight with. He would have his, the one over there," he jerked his thumb in the merchant's direction. "plus the Triforce of power and whatever other things he's collected over the years. I might hold back any soldiers he brings with him, but I doubt I could stop him. I've just started fighting whereas he's had decades of practice. No, I do not think so." The man nodded and left as well.

Now the Auctioneer's eyes were narrowed and he shook with with anger. He drew a dagger and was ready to plunge it into Curtis' neck when a sword swung into his path and tripped him. The merchant landed his face against the oak planks.

Link picked up the dagger and tossed it down an alley. Startled, Curtis looked at Link. "When did you get here?" Link sheathed his sword.

"Maybe only a few minutes before you did." Link handed Curtis the gem the merchant had been holding. "Glad you've got good news because I've got some bad. Midna's been kidnapped. I was attacked by my dark self and nearly killed. But before we fought I asked what he had done with Midna. He said 'use your imagination'. I do not want to consider some of the things he might have done to her." Link had the expression of one whom is desperate. "Please! You've got to help me find her!" Curtis nodded.

"Right. Was there any clue of where he might have taken her?"

"Just this." Link reached into his item pouch and pulled out the note. "Can you read this?" Curtis examined it.

"No. While it is a language from my world, it's written in Spanish. The only language I know is my own." He handed it back. "Sorry Link."

"Well- can't you- I don't know, use some of your dream powers to change it to a language you CAN read?"

"I feel stupid now. Why didn't Ithink of that in the first place?"

Curtis took it back again and focused on it. Slowly, the letters did change until he could read it.

But he didn't get a chance to actually _read_ it because a surge of power from the east. Curtis gaped spun around.

"What's wrong?" Link asked.

"Ganondorf is using the Mirror Gem's power." He pointed east. "That way!"

"By the Goddesses' names, that's in Death Mountain's area!"

"Yeah well, I think in a minute it's going to be called Death Mountain for another reason."

"The Gorons! Can you get us there?"

"I don't know, but I can try!" He drew in as much energy from the Gems as he could, and his hair turned a silver color while his eyes turned a red brighter than blood. The winds swirled around him and he lifted three feet off the ground. He grabbed Link's arms and together they flew the speed of a diving falcon towards Death Mountain.

They landed right on the ledge where Link had wrestled his first Goron and won. To their dismay, the Goron lay dead on the ground. Heedless of the possible danger, Link ran on ahead of Curtis.

"Link, wait! I can fly…us…up." But Link was already gone. Curtis sighed.

Here comes the cry of agony. Sure enough, a few minutes later came a shriek from Link who had discovered more Goron corpses. Curtis used his Dream Control to warp directly to his location.

"I don't believe it! How could Ganondorf do this?" Link said in pain.

"With…terrible ease. Cough!" Link rushed to the side of one of the fallen Gorons. "He…he came up the mountain, so we tried to fight him…" he shook his head. "All in vain. He lifted us into the air without even touching us. Some he blasted with lightning, others…he crushed between great pillars of rock. By now…he's reached the… summit. Stop him…brother." The Goron fell back against the rock he had been leaning against and did not move again.

Angry, Link turned to Curtis. "Take me to the summit." Curtis nodded and held on to Link's arm. Then he teleported them both.

They arrived at the top just in time to see Ganondorf slammed against a wall be the chief Goron.

"You living piece of rock! I'll turn you to gravel!" He did not notice Link until he was stabbed in the back by the Master sword. "Aaaauugh!" He spun around to face Link. "You!" then he noticed Curtis. "And you too! I've learned how to use your gem's power. Now to claim the others you-" that was all he got out before he was cracked over the head by a large rock. Or perhaps a small boulder. Now injured, he tossed a dark sphere into the center of the room, and teleported back to Hyrule Castle.

"You okay?" Link asked the chief. The Goron shook his head.

"After a day like this, I will never be okay. Most of my people are dead. I know that there are other Goron cities, but that does not make me feel any better. Link?" The Goron looked around the room, and then back to Link. "If you will do this one thing for me, I will never be able to repay you. Avenge my people, Link."

Link nodded and turned to Curtis.

"You will help me find Midna, and then you will help me kill Ganondorf." It was not a request. Curtis nodded. He knew just how much his fault this whole mess was and he would do his best to make up for it. Curtis teleported them back to Hyrule town, and then he read the paper to him.

_You may as well be blind, for your friend, you'll never find!_

_But just to give you pointless hope, I'll give a clue, you brainless dope._

_To find the friend in which you love, you'll have to go high, and from there above._

_Is it a tower? Nay, that's wrong, so read on with this little song._

_Is she flying? I'm 'fraid not, and I'll not give specific spot._

_It's somewhere cold, indeed I say, a place where summer holds no sway._

_Can you find her? I don't think so. For I have buried her in snow!_

"There's nothing else. But that's more than enough. Did you reach the same conclusion I did?" Link nodded.

"I think so. But what about him saying 'I have buried her in snow'? Do you think she's froze to death?" he asked in fear.

"Midna? Nah. She's too tough to let a little cold weather kill her." Link now a bit reassured, they warped once again.

Midna shook her head to clear away her sleepiness.

Where am I? Let's se… she searched her memory until she recalled Dark Link. We fought for a few minutes, then he cast a net around me and then… her memory blanked. He must have used some sort of knock-out spell on the net so that whoever it caught wouldn't struggle. Quite effective too. But never mind that, where am I? She surveyed her surroundings to find out she was either underground, or in a box of some sort. After feeling the floor and walls for a bit, she found that she was indeed underground. Perhaps in a cave.

"I wonder what happened to Link? I hope he's okay." She couldn't bear the thought of him being dead. "What am I saying, of course he's okay!" She continued to explore until she found the entrance. Unfortunately it was frozen over, so there was no easy way out.

No easy way for a normal person, anyway. she smiled and made a fist with her 'hair'. She smashed the fist into the ice-wall…and flinched as the ice took no damage and a shock ran through her entire body.

"Ouch…" she said almost silently.

Later, after she had recovered from the non-effective punch, she tried to push the wall. No good. She scratched at it by giving her 'hair hand' claws. She left a few marks, but nothing that would do her much good if the ice was a foot thick, which was likely.

Brrr! Its cold in here! She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. I wonder where I am? It was pitch black in that cave and the only way out was frozen over. Things looked bad. Right up until she heard a howl. Then her heart leapt and she quickly flew over to the 'door'. and stated banging on it with her fists.

"Link! I'm in here! In here!" But the howling she heard was not from Link. It from a very large, very hungry Wolfos. But she didn't know that.

The Wolfos sniffed at the outside the frozen cave.

Something tasty is inside! It dug at the base until it was digging under the ice. Then finally, into the cave. It sniffed around some more. Its nearby. Where is the future meal? It sniffed the floor, but the scent had disappeared. Where is it? Where'd the prey go?

"Groof! Woof woof!" It cursed in it's language. It just could not understand. The scent went into the cave, yet there was no prey to be found. Suddenly he felt something on his back. And he did NOT like it.

"Link! Oh, thank the Goddesses it's…wait a minute." The Wolfos growled and snapped at her. It almost caught her arm. "You are definitely NOT Link!" Midna lifted back off the Wolfos just in time to save her hair from getting nipped. She hovered as high as the cave permitted, but it was not high enough to be out of it's reach. There would be only three extra inches of clearance above Link's head. The Wolfos lunged at her and would have gotten her if she hadn't used her magic.

Her 'hair' grabbed the Wolfos and hurled it against the ice-covered entrance. With the sound of an iceberg breaking the ice shattered into large chunks and she could now escape.

The badly injured Wolfos howled and thirty voices answered with howls of their own.

Oh great. More trouble. Midna grimaced. The last thing she felt like doing was killing a pack of snow Wolfos. But she seemed to have little choice because five had already shown up and had begun attacked her. She slapped one away, and punched the second, but her real arms were no help in this fight, and she only had one defense.

Except for the second section of the Fused Shadows…but can I handle their power? Two more minutes of fighting and she saw that she no longer had much of a choice. It was either use the Fused Shadow's powers, of flee.

And if I flee, and Link is here looking for me, he'll be outnumbered and likely killed if we find each other. Not wanting Link to be harmed, she made her decision. She would indeed flee, but towards that giant guy who had taken the red fish. If anyone could help her with minimal risk it was him, and she definitely did _not_ want to be using the Fused Shadows unless she had no alternative.

The Wolfoses did indeed follow her all the way to his mansion, but then she realized it would be just as simple to wait indoors for them to leave rather than endangering a friend.

Hovering up over the roof, she entered through a hole in it. Then she settled down on an old piece of furniture and waited for them to stop howling at the door.

Eventually they got frustrated and left to aid their eldest pack member back to their den, and Midna left shortly after they did. It was then she felt multiple surges of power coming from Death Mountain's direction. But from how small they were, she doubted that it was the dreamer. It was more likely to be Ganondorf. But aside from her being curious as to what he might be doing, she had little concern about it. If there was trouble, the dreamer would sense the usage and likely transport himself to Death Mountain to intercept him.

Halfway down the mountain, she saw something moving and quickly hid herself until it moved by.

"So, how great are the chances of us finding her, do you think?" said a voice she knew all too well. She jumped onto his shoulder, swung around by his neck and kissed him. Curtis laughed.

"One hundred percent, I'd say."

When Midna released him, which was as soon as she realized what she did, she blushed and hovered back three feet.

"You're okay! After that Dark-looking person captured me, I was worried what he'd do to you after beating me so easily. You aren't hurt are you?" Link shrugged.

"A few scratches, but I'll live." Link replied. Curtis shivered.

"Sorry to interrupt your reunion, but I'm freezing. How can you two not be as well, when you're wearing less than me?" Then, at the same time, both Link and Midna shivered.

"Why'd yo- yo- you have to point tha- tha -that out-t?" Midna asked with a glare.

"Because I wanted to encourage you to leave. S- s- so, Wh- wh- where t- to next?"

"Who cares? Ju- ju- just somewhere warm!" Link exclaimed.

"As y- y- you say. Onward t- to the Lost W- w- woods!" Curtis laid one hand on Link's left shoulder, and the other on Midna's head. Then they warped to the ruined entry to the Forest Temple. Link looked around at the Ivy covering the walls and a crumbling platform with a symbol he'd never seen before.

"Where are we?" he asked. With a look of sorrow, Curtis told him, and gave a very brief history.

"This is the ancient Forest temple. A long time ago, the Hero of Time came here. He destroyed evil beings residing within, and saved a dear friend of his. That friend is one of the sages. Or was. She was killed when the sages tried to slay Ganondorf. It's a good thing that hero is not alive today or he would have killed himself from grief. That girl was his best friend, and he would have died to save her." He stopped and turned away from the temple to look at the most recent hero. "No evil will be here. Here I will wait to wake up."

"Stay here?!" Link asked in disbelief. "What do you mean? You can't just stay here, you have to help me fight Ganondorf because I don't have the same powers you do!" Midna added her own voice, but hers was calm whereas Link's was upset.

"You've not got long left in this world, do you?" Curtis shook his head. Then his body flickered like a flashlight whose batteries are dying. When he became a solid person again, he explained further why he was staying.

"Of all the other temples in this land, this one was by far my favorite. So many plants. There's something about nature that almost always seems to calm me. If I ever come back to this world of yours, in this time period, it is here that I want to appear again." Curtis walked to the tree where the Hero of Time had hook-shot himself up to enter. The tree had almost covered the entrance to the temple itself. Gently placing his hands on it's trunk, he changed it's growing pattern so the not for another hundred years would it cover the entrance. Then he levitated up onto the vine-covered ledge next to it. He turned back to the others.

"I will send you two back to Hyrule Town. If you try to get back from here, you will never find your way out again. I pray that I-" he flickered again and nearly disappeared. But not quite yet would he leave. "-Hero of this time. Take these." He sent two of the Mirror gems to Link. "Use them well. Until another ti-" The dreamer awoke, and disappeared.

"Great." Midna sighed. "He didn't even get enough time to send us where he said he would." Link shrugged.

"Then I suggest we get walking."

"You walk. I'll fly." Link smiled, looked around the outside of the temple one last time, and entered the now-overgrown maze.

Ganondorf rubbed the back of his head. Having a large rock slam into you is hardly pleasant.

I swear by the Goddesses, I _will_ kill those three some day. I will NOT fail again! he thought with an intense glare at the air. But who is the greatest threat to me? The hero, the boy, or that girl? He thought about each individually, then compared them.

That girl has the Fused Shadows, but my Triforce should be able to handle her. The hero has the Master Sword, the item of my destruction with the Time Hero. But this one has no magic of his own. He is only a swordsman with extraordinary skill. That other boy though, the foreigner, those gems could be a problem. Then he looked at his gem. It's color had become brighter, and it's power stronger. Then a shiver ran through him. Hmph! He'll no longer be a problem, it seems. Well, that leaves the Hero, and the girl. I should be able to handle them separately, or perhaps even together if the boy didn't give them a gem of power. He chuckled and told his guards to alert the armies. It was time to crush all remaining challenges to him. Hero or no hero, he couldn't be everywhere at once. Nothing short of divine intervention could stop him now.

"I will not make the same mistakes I have in the past. It's time to either succeed, or die."

**End of Part 1**

_Epilogue_

Curtis woke up, not in his room to his surprise, but downstairs with a controller in his hand, and with the three Mirror Gems he had kept laying around him.

"So this wasn't a dream? Or at least not completely…Hmm. I wonder…" He looked up at the TV screen. It was Twilight Princess, sure enough, but something had changed. The inventory screen was up, showing all of his items, and in the section for special items, he saw a picture of a white gemstone, and it had the number 2 on it. Quickly, he un-paused and looked at where Link was. Sure enough, he was in the Lost Woods. It was highly overgrown since Ocarina of Time, but still recognizable.

Out of strong curiosity, he explored. Some paths were impassable due to plant growth, but a few were still open. So he entered and wound up being sent to the entrance at what was left of the Kokiri forest. He looked around and found to his dismay and mild anguish that most of it was gone. There were only two Kokiri that he could see. And only two houses could still be called houses. Link's was just a huge tree with a carving of a soldier with a fairy fighting a dinosaur. Curtis sighed.

So much is different. I wonder who those two are? he thought with the two Kokiri in mind. So he went over and spoke to them.

"Hey mister! We haven't had visitors here in decades! What's the land outside look like now?" that was all the boy said. The girl said

"You look strangely familiar…but I've never met you before. Strange…" and she scratched her head. The girl was the one that sat on the roof all the time. One of the twins. The boy was the one who had been guarding the exit to Hyrule field.

Though it mildly upset him, he forced himself to explore the area until at last he came to the new Great Deku Tree.

"You!" It said. "You look exactly like the Hero of Time! But you can't be, he died over a century ago. Sigh. Well then, you are probably his descendant. As it is, I will give you what he entrusted to me all those years ago." A branch leaned down from the top and handed him three crystals, and a green ring.

"Those crystals are gifts from the great fairies. They have sadly disappeared from this land, but those of us who remember have not. Take them, and end the latest evil to this land, Hero. I will send you to the outer fringes of the forest. Farewell." Link was warped outside.

Curtis saved the game and shut it off. He had indeed slipped through the Dream Veil and into a real world. He would have to find a way to make it right, or die trying.

He touched the Mirror Gems and they came 'alive' at his touch. The lifted off the ground and continued their eternal rotations.

I'm coming back you two, just as soon as I find the way. He stepped outside and used the Gem's power to lift himself into the air.

"I swear this by my soul! I will make right what I have wronged!!" He swore into the air.


	2. Tears of Light from the Dark Part 2

Greetings, Ladies and Gentlemen, and other such. Here is the second part of 'Tears of Light from the Dark'. I may or may not have new original ideas jammed into it, but I will use methods of travel nearly forgotten about. Oh yeah, Purge in the case I use it is mine (Evil laugh). Now, for your entertainment,

**Tears of light from the Dark**

**Dream 2**

_**Prologue**_

Curtis focused his power and altered his eyesight.

_I can see it! The Fourth Wall! Now to punch a hole in it…_ He focused his powers into his hands and sent out a bolt of it like lightning. It hit, and then reflected off of it and struck him.

"Yeeeeaaaaaagggghhh!" He screamed in agony. _Okay, not the right element…perhaps I need…_ He focused their energies into his mind for temporary Telekinesis. _Here goes!_ His will slammed into it, and seemed to chip off a tiny bit of it. _Well, at least I'm on the right track. Perhaps if I found a weaker area…_ He began to search around by means of flying. Some areas seemed more worn than others, but overall it was strong everywhere. Then a wild idea occurred to him. He sped to a huge library and searched. Sure enough, this place even had small gaps in it.

_Bingo!_ He looked for the weakest place, then focused his powers once more. He sent it into every crack, every imperfection, and slowly pried them farther apart.

It had been five days since he had the dream of him going to Hyrule, and since he did not know what was going on or how much time had passed, he knew he needed to get back as soon as he could. But until now, it had proved painful, and nearly impossible.

He heard the voice of a child, and it broke his concentration. He looked down to see a pair of twins gazing up at him in wonder.

"Mommy! Mommy look up there! That man is flying!"

Sensing he was about to be in trouble, he drew on as much energy as he could and plowed straight ahead. Again, he felt the grating sensation across his skin, and saw the swirl of colors, but this time he saw a thousand pictures strewn through them. A million voices cried out to be noticed. Some he knew, others he did not.

_That's where ideas for fictional stories come from! Those of us who write can hear them, and in turn are then heard by others through our works! Oh, how many worlds there must be out here! But I do not have time for them right now, I need to get to Hyrule. _As soon as he thought it, a huge map of it appeared before him, and he fell into it, and back into Hyrule. This time, as a mortal, and not a dreamer.

**Chapter 4**

**_To war, once more._**

Link yawned and sat down on his bed. It was good to be home, and he thought he'd take a break for a few days. For some reason he'd been feeling more easily tired than he had been before. Perhaps it had been from practicing with the Mirror Gems, perhaps not, but regardless, he was going to take a nap.

As he lay his head down on the pillow, Midna popped up out of his Shadow and woke him up.

"Link! What are you doing?! You're supposed to be training, not taking an afternoon nap!" Link became agitated.

"Look Midna, I've been training with these things for almost three weeks. I've got a pretty good idea of how they work, what the risks are, and how would be most effective in what situations. If it bothers you that much that I'd like to take a few days off, why don't _you_ go practice with them?" Link settled back down. "Sorry. I just…I don't know. Those Gems…they tell me to do things that I know I shouldn't, but they're so insistent, and it's so tiring to use them for an extended period of time. I just need a break, Midna. I'll train some more later, I promise."

Midna seemed to be satisfied with this, so she nodded and left him to sleep. But curious as to what he meant by the gems telling him to do things, she took them with her on her way out.

She shut the door behind her and went to Link's usual practice grounds in the desert. Then she drew only a tiny bit of their power.

Immediately, she had the urge to draw more, and without thinking, that's exactly what she did. Again, she felt the need to draw more. And more, and more, and more still until she was at the most she could draw with only those two. Then she realized what she had done and cut off the flow. She felt as if something had slammed into her and knocked her out of the air, though nothing was within two miles of her. Now more aware of what she was dealing with, she was more careful. Instead of drawing more like she got the urge to do, she suppressed it and held onto what she had until the feeling went away. Then drew just a bit more. Again, the feeling to suck in more came up, but much weaker than it had been. Satisfied with what she had already, she focused it's powers onto a large boulder nearby and lifted it into the air.

Then she actually _looked_ at the boulder. Apparently her eyesight had been enhanced because she could see every scratch, every crack and every fault. These she exploited. Though not sure how she did it, she drenched the boulder in the their powers. It seeped into every one of those cracks and faults. Then she pushed them apart until she had not one boulder, but two dozen large rocks. Then she spaced them out, and slammed them back together so hard they shattered. To top it off, she ground them together until they were little more than gravel and some more sand. Then she let it fall to the ground.

_Hmm. Powerful, but I could do it much faster with the Fused Shadows._ She reflected back to breaking Ganondorf's shield. How they had taken over her until she mentally wrestled control back. _Not that I'd willingly want to._

In the back of her mind, she thought she heard something speaking.

_**Why not? If you have the power to win, why not use it?**_ But she brushed it off since she thought it was just a darker aspect of what she could possibly do. She tried to let go of the Mirror Gem's power, but she couldn't. She tried again, and still nothing.

_Uh oh. Something's not right._

_**Maybe I could if break the connection if I used the Fused Shadows…**_ came the whisper again. Still thinking it was her own thoughts, she was about to do so when a huge surge of energy that she knew all too well reached her attention. No longer paying attention to the permanent connection, she flew higher to where she could see above the mountains and looked to the southeast.

_It seems the Dreamer has returned. _Then the surge swept through and passed her, and she felt the connection to the Gems snap. The Gems dropped to the ground and lay motionless without a flicker within to show what they really were. In surprise she turned around and looked at them. _Why did they disconnect when he appeared? Is it because he made them?_ She watched as he flew back to the lost Forest temple. Just as he said he would.

_I'd better go tell Link that he's returned._ Then she remembered that Link was resting. It was not like it was absolutely necessary to disturb him, she could just go and meet him on her own. So she picked up the Mirror Gems. Loathe as she was to touch them up after witnessing firsthand their effects, she could not just leave them behind for someone to find. Then she followed the dreamer to his destination.

* * *

Ganondorf winced as the energy surge struck through him and all of his minions at the gathering. He had been preparing his armies for combat ever since the Dreamer had left. He had been gone for nearly a month and Ganondorf had been hoping that he would never come back. But things seldom went the way he wanted. He would have to strike sooner than he had originally planned, but if things went well according to plan 'B', then it would still turn out the way he planned.

"Now, your people will march across to this point." he tapped a finger on a large and very detailed map. The place that he tapped was Lake Hylia. "From there you will take the barrels of red dust I gave you, knock holes in them and then toss them into the water. This will contaminate the lake and make reinforcements from the Zoras impossible unless they choose to walk the entire way. By the time they would arrive, their army would be dehydrated and need to stop for a day or so to get the needed moisture back into themselves which will delay them even longer. After that you may either march up to join the Beta forces on the march up from the desert, or kill everyone that is already down there.

"I will lead the Alpha forces myself, so if you need anything, you will report directly to me. Understood?" The Alpha general saluted, and then bowed.

"Good. The Gamma forces will split up. Half the forces will go to Death Mountain to wipe out what few Gorons remain, and the other half will go down to the obscure little village of Ordon. Once you have wiped them all out, rejoin and march here." he pointed at an area marked with a green flag. "Cut a path through the trees large enough so that at least five of you standing shoulder to should may enter at a time. Kill anyone you find who does not swear allegiance to me, and level any buildings you may find.

"Lastly, once this has been completed, take two days to rest up your soldiers, have scouts map out the area and then join up with the Beta army outside of Hyrule town. Once all armies have assembled there, We will surround it so none can escape, and then kill all the inhabitants. The soldiers there are weak, so we need fear very little from them."

Ganondorf reflected back to the first time he tried to conquer Hyrule. The guards of that era would have been a problem, but back then their army could not even be called that. Now they had more men, but they were untested in battle, and were afraid of those whom they did not think were their allies. Ganondorf smiled. It would make the fight a lot shorter.

The orders now given and the armies marching, Ganondorf retired to his room. As he changed into his nightclothes, he wondered what would be the Hero of Time' expression would have been if he could see what the people he had saved had turned into.

_Weak fools in both body and mind!_ He spat out of a window. _The soldiers of old would at least have tried to fight us. These will likely surrender rather than even try to do their sworn duties. But that is something for another day._ He laid down in his bed and drifted into sleep.

**Chapter 5**

**_Run and hide, or fight and die_**

Curtis sat down on the rotting stump Saria had once played her ocarina on and hopped to the ground. He took a deep breath of the forest air and exhaled it five seconds later. It was good to be back. Fresh air, life all around, as well as a place he knew very well. The only thing that could make it any better would be knowing that he hadn't come before and screwed something up.

He sat down on the rotting stump and whistled a tune. For the first time in nearly a century, Saria's song echoed through the trees in this part of the sacred grove. When he stopped it was silent for a good minute. Then he heard an answer to it.

A Deku scrub shuffled up what used to be steps. It sat itself down in front of him and produced a complex looking pipe instrument. It had five different places that could emit sound. The Deku scrub looked at him expectantly for a moment, then took a breath and started playing. With a grin, he started whistling again along with the Deku Scrub. Then a pair of Skull kids peeked out from behind a large tree and came out with flutes to join in as well. The final beings to appear were four fairies. One was blue, another gray, the third red, and the fourth purple. They brought tiny violins with them. This went on for several minutes more, than as one they all stopped. Curtis stood up and bowed.

"Gentlemen, or perhaps ladies, as I am afraid with your kind I cannot tell the difference, I am honored to have revived that song with you for the time that you were all here. Thank you." He bowed. They bowed in return, and then went their separate ways back into the forest. All except for the Deku Scrub.

It put away it's instrument and stood up. This particular Deku Scrub was huge. It was at least as tall as Curtis was (five foot, seven inches).

"You are not a Kokiri for you are too old. Nor are you a Hyrulian for you have round ears and a different smell. What are you?"

"I, Mr. Scrub, am a Human. My particular breed of Human are from the other side of the Fourth Wall."

The Deku Scrub's eyes went from a burnt orange to a yellow color. What this meant, Curtis had no idea.

"The other side? That's impossible. Nothing passes through that except ideas and important events in history." Curtis shrugged.

"I'm not sure anymore just how true or false that is, Mr. Scrub. When I first came here, I was dreaming. This time however, I'm not. If I die in this world, there's no waking up somewhere. My body stays here."

"Then I think you should leave. No adventure is worth risking your life over."

"I made a mess the first time I came here, sir. Now I need to fix it."

"If you are determined not to take my advice, then here." He handed Curtis a small bag holding thirty Deku Nuts and the good ol' Hookshot. In disbelief Curtis hefted and examined it. To make sure it worked, he tested it on the tree next to the temple entrance. It was obviously in perfect working condition because he was yanked upward to where it hit and attached. Then he dropped to the ledge.

"Thank you, Mr. Scrub, but why give these to me?" he called down.

"Because The Hero of time won't be needing them anymore, and I suspect that you will. A great darkness is going to sweep across the land soon, so why should I keep something that my people can't use and therefore will not do us any good when someone else can, and will be of use?"

"That's a good point. Well, if this great darkness _is_ coming soon, than perhaps you should evacuate your people to the Termanin lands." The Deku Scrub nodded thoughtfully.

"That sounds reasonable. Farewell then, Human. I sadly doubt that we shall ever meet to play a song of harmony again." It shuffled down the steps until it's steps were muffled and covered by the forest.

Curtis sighed, sat down, and examined the Hookshot in greater detail. He had already pocketed the Deku Nuts because he already knew that they were rare in this age and did not wish to waste any by accidentally dropping them.

A few minutes later Midna showed up. As she hovered down, Curtis looked up alarmed with the Hookshot ready to spring. When he saw who it was, he chuckled and shook his head as he lowered it to his side.

"Greetings, your highness." he said with a mock bow. "How are you and Link doing?" Midna blinked twice and then opened and closed her mouth.

"How did you know-"

"That you are the Twilight Princess?" he interrupted. "I explained it earlier, you know."

"I know, but you didn't say that when we first met. Why did you now?"

"Just because I did, I suppose. I don't always have a reason for stuff. I also know- or at least did at one time, how this was going to end. You fears were justified, Midna, I have in fact screwed up your future." he looked at the ground in shame. Then he shook his head as if that would clear away his mood and then looked back up with a forced smile. "So, how much time has passed since I left in your world?"

"Just about a month. Why? How much time went by in your world?"

"Five days. But then again, how many hours are in this world's day and night? We have twenty four total."

"I don't know. I never took the time to count them." then the his answer hit her. "Only five days have gone by for you?? That's all?" He nodded.

"Weird isn't it? But that's not important right now. Where is Link? We need to stop Ganondorf as soon as possible. Who knows what he's been planning?"

"Link is sleeping right now in Ordon. Would you like me to warp you, or would you prefer to fly?"

"It doesn't matter. Whichever you prefer." Midna laid a hand on his forehead and they found themselves just outside of it.

"That was the strangest thing that I've ever felt in my entire life. How does Link stand doing that all the time?" Curtis asked after checking to make sure that all of him came through.

"You get used to it eventually."

It was completely dark out by the time they made it to Link's house. Midna hid in his shadow while people were nearby, but since it was nighttime there were only a few. They watched him warily, but when he smiled and said good evening, they returned it and then ignored him.

Midna popped up and waved her right hand over the doorknob. It unlocked and she pushed the door open.

"Watch your step. Link's wooden shield is-"

"Yaagh!" He tripped over it and knocked some cooking implements off their hooks. Between pots and pans clattering on the floor and Midna's laughter it was a wonder the whole town wasn't awake.

"-on the floor-ha-hor-hor! She semi-stuttered in her laughing. Then Link came in the room with a sword in one hand, a pillow in the other and sleep marks under his eyes. Even though Curtis was hurting from his little episode, he couldn't prevent himself from chuckling at the sight.

"The mighty pillow warrior has awakened! (points and laughs at him)" he joked.

"Oh. Itz juz you." he sheathed the Master sword and tossed it onto a chair. "Next time be a little more careful. You might wake the dead." Link lit his lantern and sat down…on his sword. He moved to the side a bit and moved the sword to the floor before trying to get comfortable. "So," he began. "You have returned. Good timing, too. I've been told that Ganondorf is massing his forces. I don't know what he's up to, but it can't be good." He set the pillow behind his head and the wall and leaned back. "So, did Midna tell you how much time has gone by?" Curtis nodded.

"Yeah, a month. It's so hard for me to believe that much time has passed in the span of only five days, but it did. I get the feeling that if I were to stay here the rest of my life, I'd outlive the next three heroes. But we can't afford to do that. Do you still have the Mirror Gem's I gave you in case I did not come back?"

"Yes." Midna answered before Link could. "Here they are." She gave them to him. "And you can keep those things. If you hadn't shown up, I'd still be connected to those things." Link gave her a curious look.

"What do you mean?" he asked. "I heard whispers, but I could let go of their powers."

"What most likely happened is that the Gems connected to your Fused Shadows. It's a good thing that you didn't try to use that at the same time, or you may have lost control of your body. If you let the Mirror Gem's curse influence you too much, then it can take control as well. I've seen what the regular Fused Shadows do to you, and you've experienced it. Now multiply it by a dozen and you've got just about how much stronger it'd be then.

"No Midna, you must never use the Mirror Gems again so you may never again be tempted."

"Have they ever controlled you?" she asked.

"No. The Mirror Gem's ability to eventually possess people does not affect my race because we are all born with a small evil in us already and the effect sort of cancels. We can choose to be good people, or not to be. There is a phrase from my world: Power corrupts. Another part later added on is: Absolute power corrupts absolutely. This has been true ever since we committed our first evil. Even the best of people may be corrupted by power. The Whisper isn't needed because we fall under greed's influence all on our own."

"Dang. That sucks." Link said. Link looked out the window at the moon. "Well, since it's night time, you want to stay here? Or do you not need to since your already asleep?"

"I would like to stay the night, and actually no, I'm not asleep. I broke through the barrier between fantasy and reality to get here. So now, if I get killed, I don't get yanked back to Earth, I die."

"Then maybe we should find you a fairy tomorrow in case that happens. But for now, good night." Link went to his room, Midna settled down on a chair, and Curtis went outside to sleep under a blanket of stars.

The next day Link was the first to awaken. After getting dressed, arming himself, and picking up his gear, he walked out and got himself an apple. After eating it, he tapped Midna on the head to wake her up.

"Eh? Oh, good morning Link. Did you sleep well?" He smiled.

"Yes. How about you?" she nodded

"Uh huh." she looked around. "Hey, where'd the Dreamer go?"

"He's not a dreamer anymore, remember? Good question though." He looked out a window to see him snoozing under a tree and holding a poor squirrel like a teddy bear. Link couldn't himself from laughing at the sight. As if from hearing it, Curtis awoke and when he saw the squirrel, he jumped and released it. The squirrel ran up the tree and threw acorns at him. It chattered at him for a minute, then ran higher up.

"What the heck? Where'd the squirrel come from?" he asked no one in a sleepy voice.

Pretending he hadn't seen, Link walked outside and greeted him.

"Good morning. You sleep well?" Curtis looked at the tree the squirrel ran up with the 'what in the heck?' look and then back at Link.

"Fine except for waking up finding a squirrel in my hands like a living teddy bear. How about you and Midna?"

"Fine. Hey, we were going to set out to finish Ganondorf off today, care to come along?" Curtis grinned.

"I wouldn't miss this for the world!"

"Glad to hear it. Well then, let's get-" They heard a scream come from Ordon's direction. Then the sound of breaking glass and steel-on-steel.

"Something's going on over there! Here." Link tossed Curtis the Ordon sword. "Use that if they get too close to you. Come on!" Link tore down the path on foot instead of by horse since Rocky was still outside the Hyrule capital.

They arrived to see Shadow beings mixed with the green bokoblins swarming all through Ordon. The mayor punched one in the head and then tackled it to the ground. It did not move once he stood up. Rustle was currently still in Hyrule town, and so was not present.

"Link! Thank the goddesses you're here! We need help!"

"So I can see. Curtis, you take those on the left, I'll head right!" he said while they ran forward. "When you take them out, join me, this may be more than even the Hero of Time could handle."

"Aye." They separated and dove into combat.

Midna heard a 'thunk' sound come from outside so she moved to investigate it. It was an arrow.

_An arrow? Not one of Link's because he uses different feathers. Then whose could-_ Another arrow whizzed by her and lodged in the floor. She looked a little to the right to see a green creature not unlike one of those that kidnapped Link's friends. It loaded up it's bow for another shot.

_I don't think so!_ she sneered. She socked it hard with her powers and sent it flying into a natural stone wall. It's body made a 'crunch' sound and it did not move again after it dropped to the ground._ Something's wrong. I'd better go find Link._ She zoomed down the path they had taken, but kept to what few shadows there were.

When she arrived she saw just how wrong things were. Where Link fought, he cleared a path in the direction he was intent on heading. More specifically, the houses the creatures were lighting on fire with their burning arrows. Where the Earther fought, lightning rained out of a cloudless sky, and every foe that came within sword range froze as soon as the blade touched skin. Soon, he had no foes left, and moved to help Link. But though the main region of Ordon was being cleared of foes, more kept coming in through the entrance.

_I need to lend a hand! But what about the villagers? If they see me…it doesn't matter!_ She also joined in the fighting using her magic's.

"Midna! What are you-" he parried three enemy blades, then disarmed one and slew it. "doing here? If the villagers see you, they could mistake you for one-" he slew two more, dodged and arrow, a sword, and foiled an attempt to disarm him. "of the enemy! Please get to safety and don't worry about us!"

"Link, don't be a fool!" Curtis yelled over the combat noise. "Even with my powers and your skills, we'll eventually be overwhelmed, and Ordon isn't going to be much help. We need her." He launched more lightning from his left hand, and spewed fire from his mouth like a dragon. It gave them some breathing room, but it was filled ten seconds later by even more enemies. Too many enemies. They were slowly being pushed backwards for more fighting space. "At this rate, even with her help, we'll be pushed back to fighting at your house." He brought up a wall of stone from the ground beneath them to prevent their foes from circling around behind them. Link was kicked in the stomach and punched in the face. Curtis was shot with an arrow in the arm, and that left Midna to take up the slack while they recovered.

"Why can't you just seal off the entrance?" she yelled to him. "That would stop them for sure!"

"Yeah it would." he winced as he yanked out the arrow and healed himself. "Right up until the built a ramp and climbed over it, leaving us trapped unless we leave through the forest, and that only goes so far into known territory."

"Well then, can't you put a shield over us?" Midna asked. He nodded.

"Yeah, but we need to get them out first, or they'll be trapped in here with us. Once I put that shield up, I won't be able to move because I'll be too focused on keeping it up. Can you two keep them away from me while I do that?" Link and Midna nodded. "Good. Then don't go passed that trench that leads out." He clenched his fists and focused. The Mirror Gems clustered in so close they stopped rotating and touched his skin. Then they seemed to turn to a gel because as they touched they molded over his skin like a skin-tight suit. All except for his head was covered.

From the ground, a shimmering yet transparent dome came up from the ground and forty feet into the air the edges came together and closed.

Curtis gasped in shock.

"That took more energy than I thought it would. Hey Link?" Link turned his head and looked over his shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"While that barrier will keep out the baddies, anything they launch at us will get through. It will stop organics, but something like say, a catapult projectile, will pass through that barrier like water through sand."

"Say what?!"

"It would take too much energy and focus for me to try and uphold a keep-all-out shield. Even though I get energy from every living thing in existence, I count as one of those 'every living things'. If they use wooden battering rams, then the barrier will fall a lot faster than them using long-range weaponry and magic because the damage will go directly at the shield. I can only keep it up until midday even without them pounding on it, so start coming up with a plan of escape, you two."

Link was talking with the mayor four hours later. Three houses had burned down and the shop woman's cat looked half-eaten.

"Other than that, everyone is okay. Link, for the first time in my life, I don't know what to do. Any ideas?" Link shook his head.

"Right now things looked pretty bad. We can't fight because they have far too many soldiers and only us have ever done any fighting, and your fighting was Sumo wrestling. That's not going to be of much use here."

"Couldn't that Imp-like friend of yours warp us somewhere else?"

"Her name is Midna. And the answer is, I don't know. Why don't you ask her?" Link said with a slight edge to his voice.

"I don't mean to be rude or sound prejudice, Link, but I find it hard to trust a member of the very people who stole our children from us." Link sighed.

"I know you didn't mean any harm. I just…I'm worried about all of you. I grew up here. When my parents died you all looked after me. After I left to deliver the sword," he laughed weakly. "which I still haven't done, Midna got me out of trouble more times than I can count. To think of any harm coming to any of you or to Midna enrages me." The mayor patted Link on the shoulder.

"Well, we're alright. You and those friends of yours saved our lives. We'll find a way out of this." Link nodded and walked over to Midna who was watching the Shadow Beings waiting for the barrier to fall. Without him even telling her it was him, she spoke to him.

"Link, those are my people, and I'm going to have to kill them to preserver myself and those not of my people." she turned around and looked him in the eyes. Her eyes were leaking sparkling tears. "I don't think I can do it!" Link reached out a hand and brushed a tear from her face. She sniffed, then flung herself to him and hugged his neck. Link was surprised at first, then patted her back. "I just wish that there was something I could do to free them from Ganondorf's power!"

A gasp for air and half a word drew her attention to where Curtis sat cross-legged and sweating on the ground.

"There…there may be a way…to do just that." He was breathing hard like a marathon runner taking a quick break. The enemy were indeed doing everything they could to bring down the barrier, and it was taking it's toll. Only perhaps ten minutes remained before he would pass out and they'd die.

"What do you mean?" Midna was still crying, but he had her full attention now. "You can free them?" he nodded weakly.

"Maybe. When we…first separated…I got in a fight with…a large number of those…Shadow Beings." he swallowed and took another breath. "I was wielding the power of the Gems, and I yelled Purge. When I did, a wave of holy energy swept through them, and broke the dark magic's enslaving them. They reverted to their Imp forms."

"Could you do the same here? To all of them?" He wearily shrugged.

"Perhaps if I…drop the barrier, but then they'd…all swarm in. But perhaps that's necessary. I'm not sure… just how many of them there…are. If there is…a few hundred or thousand, than I may only change…a quarter of them without killing...myself." He was starting to look like he was going to keel over. The top of the dome frayed and was forming holes in it.

Midna looked at Link.

"Do you think you can hold them back long enough for him to do that?" Link nodded with a determination he'd not felt since the fight with Zant. If they could free more of the Twili, then that would mean a lot less for them to have to fight.

"But what will prevent the enemy from…killing them, Midna? Once the…baddies realize that they…are no longer…on their side…they'd turn on them as well."

"I will teleport us to that temple I found you at. We should have shelter there. For awhile, at least." He nodded.

"Okay then. You all ready?" Link and Midna nodded. The mayor had heard what the were planning and had gathered the villagers behind them.

"We're ready. Let it drop."

He dropped his arms, and the barrier collapsed.

Immediately, dozens of Shadow beings swarmed in. It seemed that they wanted this fight over as quickly as possible. Curtis stood up with the mayor's help. He lifted his hands to the sky.

_It will be their undoing._ He smiled tiredly._  
_

"PURGE!" He nearly screamed into the air. Once more, the Holy energy seared through the entire area. To a spectator, it would look as if someone had dropped a Deku nut the size of a monster truck on top of them.

Unearthly shrieks filled the air as the darkness was removed from five hundred Shadow Beings.

When the light cleared, it had indeed worked. Five hundred dazed and confused Twili hovered and stood before them.

"It worked!" Midna cried in joy. She hugged Link and kissed him. Link blushed while he stood amazed. "Now to get us out of here!" She concentrated until she looked like she was getting her teeth pulled…all at once…with no anesthesia. Then they all vanished from Ordon, leaving the Bokoblins behind with an empty village.

* * *

Ganondorf was awoken earlier than he would have gotten up by the biggest surge of energy he'd ever felt in his life. Even bigger than when the Dreamer first came to this world.

Why would he be using that much- oh no. He was probably fighting one of my armies. If he destroyed the one heading to Lake Hylia, I could be having some major problems on my hands. I should verify this. He used his Triforce of power to check on them. They were fine, in fact they had already arrived and were resting, so it had to be in another problem. He checked on the others that were absolutely needed. No problems. If all he destroyed was one of the sweeper armies, than it's not a big problem. Just as long as they slow him down long enough for me to wipe out and fortify Hyrule's castle and town. He got dressed and prepared for the day. But before going to consort with his advisers, he'd thought he'd play the wind organ in the highest castle tower. It had been such a long time since he'd done that.

**Chapter 6**

_Hero habits and More trouble_

First there was just a quiet, abandoned temple, then, half a second later, it was filled with a few over five hundred people. All confused, most scared, and three of them very, very tired.

As soon as they all rematerialized, Midna collapsed in exhaustion. Link picked her up and sat down.

"You okay?" he asked in a whisper.

"Barely. So tired…" She replied even quieter. Then she passed out. Link took off his hat, rolled it up and used it as a pillow for her. He set her down and went through the crowd asking everyone how they were doing. The Twili had fled the sunlight and entered the ruinous temple, but other than that everyone was present and accounted for.

"Glad to hear it." he said. He walked over to the mayor who was still supporting Curtis. "You okay after all that?" he asked in concern. Curtis waved a little.

"I don't think I'll be able to do another direct fusion for awhile." he looked at the Mirror Gem Gel as it ran off his body and reformed the gems on the ground. "I need time to rest. Preferably a week or two." he turned his head to look make eye contact with the mayor. "You can let me down, now." He lowered him to the ground and leaned him against a tree. "Thank you." He lifted his head to look at the leaves above him. Then he began whistling. This time, the tune was the 'Song of Healing'.

The rotted stump decayed at a rate that seemed almost impossible. When it had turned to dirt, the wind blew and spread it around. Then Curtis laid eyes on something he'd thought he'd never see again.

"I don't believe it!" he forced his body forward, but was so weak all he could manage was a crawl.

"Don't believe what?" he asked as he watched him crawl. "Where are you going?"

"Will you help me up again? I've got to get to that rotted stump!" Link helped him up and over to it's powdered remains.

"Okay, what's so special about…the…stump?" Link trailed off as he saw what Curtis wanted to get to so bad. It was a blue panel, but the pattern kept moving in on itself like a sand pit. "What is that?"

"This, my friend, is one of the lost portals to the Dark World. Or what is more recently called the Twilight Realm. I knew there was one in the Lost Woods, But I'd never thought it'd be right here!"

"And what good does this do us?" Link inquired. "It's not like we need to go there anymore. Zant is dead, remember?"

"Who cares about Zant? If this is here, then that must mean that…" He dug at a space where the trees grew together with the sword Link gave him. One splinter came out, than two, and then the trees groaned and separated like a modern door opening sideways.

"What in Nayru's name?" Link looked on astonished. The people from Ordon were just as equally surprised.

"Good. This may mean allies. But not right now. Right now, I'm going to sleep. Goody night." He collapsed into a deep sleep, and no one could rouse either him or Midna for five days.

When at last they did wake up again, it was Midna who woke up first. Link gave her a heart piece harvested from a tuft of grass. She said it tasted like…strawberries. Curious, Link tried one and found that it did indeed taste like strawberries. Midna looked around and noticed the portal and the dark tunnel through the trees. When she asked Link about them he told her what he knew and shrugged about where the tunnel lead.

"When he finally wakes up, ask him." he pointed at the sleeping-with-a-dumb-smile Curtis. Then he snorted and muttered a few broken sentences.

"Termina festival sounds like…should be in a few days…No time to party, got to turn back the clock…DIE MAJORA!" He leapt up to his feet on the last one and drew out his sword. Then he hit his head on a tree branch and woke up.

"What the? Where the heck am I?"

"Just outside the Forest Temple. You were dreaming. About what, I can't guess. You muttered something about Termina, and the last thing you said- well, yelled actually, was 'die Majora'. Who's Majora?" Re-sheathing his sword and drinking from a water bottle he had in his back pocket, he rubbed his face and responded

"You don't want to know. Trust me, you just don't." Midna gasped at 'Majora'.

"Majora?" she asked and hovered closer. "As in Majora's Mask?" Curtis gave her a curious expression.

"Yeah. How did you know about that?"

"Majora's Mask was a prototype of sorts for this." She tapped her helmet. "Unfortunately, the mask's powers came from-"

"An evil spirit locked within it." he finished. She nodded.

"Yes, and more often than not, be people using it became the puppets of it."

"Yeah well, that's not a problem anymore. The Hero of time traveled to Termina as I intend to, and he defeated it. That mask is now just a mask."

"So that's where that leads? To Termina?" Midna asked. He nodded.

"It's probably not the safest or easiest route, but it's the only one that I know of."

"I'm going with you." Link stated. Curtis shook his head.

"No, Link. Your people here need you and Midna to protect them in case I don't come back with help. Besides, I know my way around there, and you don't. You'd just get lost. I'll be back, and hopefully with those who can help us win."

"Help us win? But the past heroes did it by themselves, why would it be any different now?" Link asked.

"Because past evils spread their armies out. Ganondorf has learned from that and has gathered them all together. We were almost killed by one, how do you think we'd fare against all of them together? No Link, we need help, and I've got an idea of where to get it." He started down the path between the trees. "See you later!" He mock saluted and then ran down the tunnel and disappeared.

* * *

"Link, I don't know about this. With him gone, that weakens us. What happens if another army finds us? Though all of my people have some magical abilities, few bother to train them for fighting because it's never been needed. Plus they can't come out in sunlight like I can."

"Then we'll get everyone into the temple and pray that we don't leave any signs that we're here. Perhaps they'll just pass by and ignore us. I hate the idea of hiding, but right now it seems to be our only option." Midna nodded and flew up into the temple. Link explained the necessity of getting inside, and then with the other's help, constructed a crude ladder and got everybody inside. Lastly, Link pulled the ladder up after them.

No need to give them any more of a hint than the trampled grass.

The villagers organized a exploration party to see what rooms were still mostly intact, and which of these would be most defensible if they were found. The puzzle rooms' roofs had caved in, the spirit torches had gone out again in the main room, and though the elevator worked, it groaned like it intended to collapse if someone used it.

"A definite deathtrap, and I'll not set foot in it." The shop woman declared. So no one went to the lowest floor.

The well water was drinkable, and since nobody but the cat (which had died in Ordon) ever seemed to eat anything, food wasn't a problem. So the people from Ordon seemed content enough despite the fact that all their homes had likely been burned to the ground. Though none seemed to want to go anywhere near the Twili except for Link. The Twili themselves wanted to go home, and looked at the Light-dwellers with jealousy.

Still, Link had helped to save them, so they respected him and made no rude comments. Well, one did, but received a glare from Midna, and with a terrified expression, shut up.

"Well Midna, you are amongst your people again." he began.

"Yes. I'm glad to be. Thank you again Link."

"For what?"

"For helping to free my people." she kissed his cheek and those of her people sitting or flying behind them gasped.

They could both guess what they all were thinking, but didn't care at the moment. Link stood still like a statue and gazed straight ahead in surprise, while Midna laughed at him. But after a minute of him still standing there, she took out a feather pen and some ink and drew a mustache and beard on him. Now it wasn't just her laughing.

Link snapped out of his stupor ten seconds later, but no one would tell him what was so funny. They just pointed, snickered, and shook their heads. Link found this to be strange and annoying until he went to the well to get a drink and saw his reflection.

"MIDNA!!

* * *

Ganondorf had a strange feeling in his gut. Then he ran to the nearest bush and threw up.

It had to be the fish. I thought it smelled funny. He called for a page. When it arrived, he wrote an order to have the one who made him breakfast to be flogged. Then he sent it and used magic to relieve the unpleasant taste in his mouth.

Now as good as could be expected, he sifted through his reports. One came yesterday from Ordon.

So they finished them off. he thought as he opened it. _I would have thought they'd been done sooner than-_ His eyes widened in shock and shortly after narrowed in anger as he scanned the writing.

"Five hundred and some plus reverted back to Twili and at least sixty-five Bokoblins dead. Army diminished, and enemies disappeared right in front of us. No idea where they are at this time. Moving to join up with group sweeping through the Lost Woods.

"Grr! Curse you, heroes!" He stormed from his room and climbed the tower above him. He raised his hands to the sky and the sky darkened. Lightning and rain poured down from the sky. "I will NOT FAIL AGAIN! I will succeed or die this time!"

A single bolt of lightning the size of a mountain slashed the air and struck the ground. But that did not interest Ganondorf. What did was a flare of light at the bottom of the crater. He enhanced his vision to see it better. It appeared to be a hole in midair. He would have to investigate this hole later.

**Chapter 7**

_From Despair, Hope_

Curtis emerged from the forest with thorns, leaves, and vines all through his clothing. He had no memory of what happened after he entered the path, all he knew now was that he looked like a walking plant. He carefully removed all that could, but couldn't reach some of the stuff on the back of his shirt.

_Ah, screw it._ He walked out across what was left of the field. Clocktown had really expanded since the Hero-of-Time visited it. It even had cobblestone roads leading out of it towards the mountains and the beach. It seemed trade had increased quite a bit.

He heard a Dog or something bark at him, and turned just in time to get knocked over.

"Howler, get back here! Howler!" It was a girl's voice. The dog kept sniffing and licking Curtis' face until the girl hauled it off him. He sat up to thank her when he saw her face.

"You! I know you! Your name is Tanya! I created you!" She looked at him and blinked.

"You…No, I shouldn't even be here. I'm sorry about my dog." She picked it up and ran off towards the Swamp. But not before he saw her Wolf's tail.

"Wait! Please!" He was about to follow her when someone called to him.

"Hey boy! You need some help?" At the sound of another voice he forgot about Tanya.

"More than you know." he breathed.

"What was that? Speak up!"

"Yes I do. Can you please take me to the mayor's office? I've just come from Hyrule and we're in trouble." The man had white hair and looked about seventy. But he sure didn't run like one.

"Hyrule, eh? That old legend really exists? Ha! That'll teach my neighbors to laugh at me!

"You aren't playing with me, are you?" he asked suspiciously.

"I assure you sir, Hyrule is very real. I can even take you there later, if you want."

"Yeah, later. You said you needed help, lad? Well, I guess I can help you. Follow me." He zipped down the road like the postman back in Hyrule.

_Dang! This old man could win the Olympics back home!_ Curtis also had to run to keep up.

"Welp sonny, here you are. Remember, mayor Rufus is young, but no dummy like some of our past mayors. Have a nice day, sonny!" The old man left.

_And I thought they were strange in the video game._ He shook his head and opened the door. The inside of the building had changed, but not enough that it wasn't unrecognizable. Only the girl that would have been there in the game was likely now either an ancient woman, or long dead of old age. In her place was another girl, but this one had purple hair and bronze, not brown, eyes.

_Ooh! She's cute! But what girl in the Zelda series isn't?_ he thought and hid a smile with his hand and a cough. She looked up from a book and marked it with a slip of paper.

"May I help you?" she asked.

"Yes. I'm looking for the Mayor. Is he busy? I need to speak with him, the matter is urgent."

"Unfortunately, he's in a meeting right now, but your welcome to come back later." Curtis looked out a window that had been installed in the ceiling. High up in the sky there was a faint gray dot.

"A meeting, huh? Is the moon coming down again?" he asked jokingly with a goofy grin. The girl's expression was surprised, and then serious.

"Either you know our history well, or there's more to you than meets the eye. The odd sword you carry points more to the second. Who are you?"

"Someone who is in desperate need. Anything more than that is for the ears of the mayor first."

"I see." She opened a tube and spoke through it. Someone else's voice answered. She capped the tube and turned back to Curtis. "His meeting concerns strange rumors that have been coming from the Swamplands. Something about Deku Scrubs and Gorons coming in from another country because of a rising danger. Is it more important than that?"

"_That_ is why I'm here. Only, I have a request to make of the peoples in this country. Please, when is the earliest time he will be free?" he almost begged.

"An hour, maybe two. But I've got nothing else to do either. Want to go to the Milk bar for a drink?"

"I thought the milk bar was only open to members and opened at ten o'clock at night."

"Yeah, about a hundred years ago. Have you been living in a cave or something?" He shook his head.

"Nah, I'm just out of the loop, so to speak. That sounds good. Thanks." She got up out of her chair and wrote a short note to tell where she went. She walked to him and he opened the door for her.

"My name's Curtis, by the way. What's yours?"

"My name is Anjay. Pleased to meet you."

When they entered Anjay, ordered One half Romani, one half regular. Curtis ordered Chateau Romani, not realizing just how strong the stuff was.

"Are you sure you're ready for that?"

"Hey, it's just milk! What's the worst that can happen?

(Twenty minutes of conversation plus three gulps of his drink later.)

"Yeeaaup. I iz from another worrrld and if you look," he lifted his hair to show that his ears were _not_ pointed. "Ma earz iz rrounded." Anjay watched wide-eyed and trying not to laugh at him.

"I think you've had enough." she said, and slid his glass away from him.

"Nonshensh! Itsh only ma first glash. Ahm perfect-ly able to walk shtraight-" he stood up with difficulty, took three steps, and tripped over his own feet. "Ah, mebee not." he said on the floor. "Ma mon-ay is in ma pocket. Here." He dug into his pocket after trying unsuccessfully four times and pulled out a red rupee. She paid for his drink and helped him out of the bar.

"I think you should wait here until you get the milk out of your system." she said after helping him to a bench in the older inn. It had been enlarged since the Mask incident, and could now house eleven people.

Still drunk, he inquired if Anju still worked there. Anjay gasped and stepped back from him. "What _are_ you?! Anju was the name of my great-grandmother! Your ears make it obvious you aren't from around here, but now you try to tell me you've been alive for over a hundred years?! That's impossible!" Curtis waved his left index finger back and forth and shook his head.

"Not sho. Nothing ish imposhible, but you're car-rect, I'm not over a hundred yearsh old. My world's time jusht moves much shlower than yourz. Alsho, In ma world, yourz is fantasy. Just ash mine ish in your world."

"You're scaring me."

The door banged open and the old man and a guard tromped in. Curtis looked up at them and flashed a dumb smiled and waved.

"Hello, old dude! Whashup?" he hailed.

"I told you he was from Hyrule! Look at his clothes, have you ever seen anything like them?" he exclaimed, pointing at him.

"No I haven't, but that doesn't mean he's from Hyrule. But he looks drunk enough to tell us anything we asked him. From what's the most embarrassing thing he's ever done to where's he's really from." he gave Anjay a glance, then ignored her and turned back to Curtis, who still had a dumb smile on his face, but was starting to sober up.

"This old man says you came from Hyrule. Did you?" He nodded and explained in a still-drunken voice.

"Yep. I came from thar to get help cuz Ganondorf iz tryin' to take ova Hyrule again. But I wasn't born in Hyrule, I wuz born on Earth. Where wuz you born?" he asked. The guard raised an eyebrow at his question, and looked at Anjay.

"Just how much did he drink?" he whispered.

"Just one glass. I don't think he's ever had magic milk before." she whispered back.

"You guys know what would be a good new flavor for your magic milk?" they turned to him. "Chocolate Chateau Romani." He moved his arms as if putting his hands on words on a poster board. "We have ordinary chocolate milk in our world. I'm not sure how it's done, but I think they take chocolate and then they-" he kept on describing the supposed process until they began to ignore him. The old man listened intently however, and began to take notes.

The guard shook his head.

"I don't think he has either. He sounds borderline delirious."

"If it weren't for the fact his ears aren't round, he has a sheath style I've never seen before and had such weird clothes, I'd agree with you." They looked back at him again.

"-and after the milk goes from white to a nice light brown, then it's ready to be drank." He was looking at the old man who had just pocketed the slip of paper he'd been writing on. "Do you think it'll sell here?" The old man nodded.

"Definitely. People here drink milk almost everyday, sonny, and almost everyone I know likes chocolate, so it should sell very well." he nodded thoughtfully. "Yes. Very well indeed. Do you have any other ideas?" Curtis thought for a minute.

"Just two, but it may not be liked as much. We also have a kind of dessert in our world called Ice Cream. I'm not sure how that's made, but I think the milk is slowly frozen while being mixed with sugar-" The old man began taking notes again. "Be sure to keep in mind that since your people don't have our technologies that someone will have to stand in that cold room stirring it by hand with a rust-resistant steel spoon. Perhaps a Goron would be best suited-" he scratched his fuzzed chin.

The guard shook his head.

"Such strange ideas. He's got to be from somewhere.

"Oh, before I forget, the old man told me he had wanted to talk to the mayor. Did he yet?"

"No. The mayor was in a meeting before we left. He might be out of it, but even if he is, Curtis is in no condition to talk business with him." she gestured at him. The old man was trying to find out as much as he could about food from him. At one point, he helped him stand and helped him to the kitchen in an attempt to make 'brownies' as he called them. The guard glared at the old man, but he stuck his tongue out at him and kept going anyway. Anjay rolled her eyes and helped, seeing as he wasn't going to be dissuaded. Having nothing else to do, the guard followed and pulled up a chair to watch.

"You know what, boy? That smells great! If it tastes as good as it smells, I doubt the mayor will say no to letting you in then!"

Fully sober now, _Thank you, God!_ he pulled the pan out of the oven and set it on the counter behind him to let it cool.

"Now, that's got to sit and cool for at least twenty minutes. Then we can cut pieces out and sample it.

"Anjay, do you think the mayor is done his meeting yet?" Anjay had been inhaling the smell of baked chocolate goods, and jumped when he spoke to her.

"What? Oh! Yes, I think so." she looked at the pan of cooling brownies. "Can we at least wait until we can try those?" Curtis crossed his arms.

"It's not going anywhere as long as we can trust the guard to keep his fingers out of it." The guard jumped.

"Wha- me? Why do I have to guard it?" he complained.

"Well, if the old man stays here, someone might think he's taking something."

"Hey!"

"If Anjay stays, who's going to be able to make sure I'm not just barging in?" Anjay reluctantly nodded.

"Besides that, who better to guard something than…a guard?" the guard sighed.

"Fine! I'll guard your blasted baked good. These things better be good."

"A chef is only as good as their ingredients and equipment. I've never used a fire stove before."

So they left for the mayor's office.

* * *

An annoyed Link stomped up behind the Twilight princess. He crossed his arms.

"Midna." came his voice. Midna turned around with an innocent look.

"Yes, Link?" she said in an equally innocent tone. Link pointed at his face.

"Explain this." Midna performed a thorough mock examination, complete with a magnifying glass.

"Hmm…After careful examination," she grinned. "I conclude that it is a result of excellent breeding due to the choices of your mother and father."

"…………" Link was confused for a moment, but then rolled his eyes. "I was referring to the ink mustache and beard that won't come out of my skin no matter how much I scrub it."

"Oh! That!" she said, faking recent comprehension. "Well, I thought you looked just a tiny bit girlish when you didn't have your sword out," A Twili snickered behind her, but she ignored it. "So I decided you need a mustache and beard. Now you're a man any girl would want!"

"Midna?" he said in a flat tone.

"Yes, handsome?"

"How do I remove the ink?"

"You wash it off. Duh!"

"With what? Water doesn't work."

"With a combination of warm water, and a Twili's saliva." Link blinked.

"Say what?"

"That is a special ink made for the royal Twili family. Its ink won't run when wet, or when licked, though who'd want to I don't know, but if the two are combined, then the ink dissolves. Since you've already washed your face and still have water on it, all you need now is the saliva!"

"……That's disgusting, Midna." she shrugged.

"True, but it's awfully funny in this situation."

"Will it eventually come off on it's own?" she shrugged again.

"Don't know. Never drew on a Hyrulian's face before." Link frowned.

"Great. Just great." Link turned around, and started to leave. Midna tapped him on the shoulder. "Yeah?"

"Here." she licked a piece of cloth and handed it to him. He shook his head.

"Thanks, but I'd rather look funny than willingly put someone else's spit on my face. Even if it belongs to a princess. Even if that princess is you." He kept walking.

Fine! Midna thought. Then she smiled mischievously as an idea occurred to her._ I'll just get you while you sleep, and add more art to a more…awkward place._ Then she slapped herself. _No! I'd never do something like that! Where'd that idea come from?_

She doused herself with cold water to clear her head.

_Where __did that idea come from? I'd never think of something like that before, and even if I did, it wouldn't be till after…_ she stopped the thought. She was Twili, and Link was Hyrulian. Aside from emotional attachment, things couldn't work out. After all this had been settled and she'd reclaim her throne, her family advisor's would insist on an heir. They'd never allow Link to marry her, him being a light-dweller. _Even if they would, does Link feel the same way? And if he does, would our specie difference allow us to have a child?_ She slapped herself again. Where are these thoughts coming from?? _We're at war, these are thoughts meant for times of peace._

Suddenly, a thousand thoughts, lives, and desires washed through her mind. All of them hers, or versions of her. It kept going on and on in a continuous stream until she screamed.

"Shut up!! I can't take it anymore!" Instantly, it all stopped. Her muscles spasm med and slowly she lowered trembling her hands from her ears.

What was that? It was lik_e I was seeing- hearing- maybe living a thousand different lives! What is going on?_

Everywhere throughout the building, the same thing was happening to everyone else. Some saw only a few dozen, while others had just as many as Midna did. Link had six times as many for the highest numbered person.

All throughout the world the same thing was happening to almost every person. Some alternate lives were boring, while others were bloody and violent. Still others felt brief moments of longing for someone they passed every day, as if a shadow of love or revenge remained. Then suddenly, all at once, it stopped. Or at least it seemed to. Something was happening in Hyrule, just as something was happening back on the waking world of Earth.

A hole had been ripped in reality, and things could either get better…or much, much worse.

* * *

Ganondorf leaned on the throne for support with sweat running down his body in rivers. Never in his life had something like this happened. A thousand lives….no, two thousand-nine hundred and fifty three lives- all his own- ran through his mind. In most of these, he died. In barely one hundred, he won his war, and took over Hyrule and moved on to conquer another world filled with round-eared beings that had no magic in their world at all.

_Were they…possibilities of the future? Or perhaps possibilities of what my life could have been? I doubt I'll ever know, but I do know, I'm going to my chambers to think hard on this._

He did so, and gazed out the window. For some reason, his eyes were drawn to the crater he had made a day or so ago. There were things moving down there!

He sharpened his sight to see people, half a dozen of them, walking around, staring wide-eyed at the world around them. Some looked with joy, others with fear, but all with recognition in their eyes. They knew where they were, and that worried Ganondorf.

_Who are these strangers? Have I made my situation more difficult? I must have my soldiers contain this area before it gets out of hand._ He sent the order, and then watched as more an more came through. Ganondorf smiled.

_Perhaps they have some dangerous new weapons or magics I could 'acquire' and possibly use._ He resolved to make them a personal offer to side with him, to join and become part of the great power that would soon rule all of Hyrule, and later, their own world.

**End pf part 2**


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